


Just A Night Of Play Pretend

by afteriwake



Series: Stuff Of Improbable Legends [10]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Bittersweet, Bones As Prince Eric, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Inspired by Roleplay/Roleplay Adaptation, Molly As Ariel, Molly Has A Crush, Protecting Herself, Roleplay Logs, Sad Molly, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 03:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7919374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At least for the night of the costume ball Molly can pretend things are different, that she's really a princess and that McCoy is her prince, that they can have that kind of relationship, if only for a night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just A Night Of Play Pretend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sideofrawr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sideofrawr/gifts).



> Written for day 3 of Molly Hooper Appreciation Week. **sideofrawr** wanted to know what happened at the cstume ball that McCoy and Molly were invited to in "An Invitation To A Ball" and while this isn't _exactly_ it (and is a lot angstier than I had anticipated) I like it all the same, and I hope she does too.

Molly adjusted the ginger wig on her head and looked at her costume one last time. She was actually rather surprised she had managed to find it at all. How was she to have known that there were _two_ bloody costume balls going on this weekend? It had been so much easier to get Leonard the Prince Eric costume, but she’d had to special order her Ariel costume and it almost hadn’t arrived in time due to the storms that supposedly regularly hit New Orleans this time of year. But it had arrived, and she was glad for it. She’d decided to go with Ariel’s wedding dress, even though it was only glimpsed briefly at the end of the movie, and she was pleased with the result. She felt quite regal in it.

She added the finishing touch to her outfit: the crown. Just as she did there was a knock at the bedroom door. “I know it’s bad luck to see the bride but are you done yet? You’re not the type to be fashionably late,” McCoy said from the other side.

“I’m almost done,” she said, picking up her lipstick and putting on another coat. She pressed her lips together to spread it more evenly and then adjusted the wig one last time and then stood, moving to the door. She opened it to see McCoy leaning against the doorjamb in Prince Eric’s wedding outfit. She’d _almost_ wanted to put him in Eric’s everyday outfit, just for her own amusement and, though she would only admit it to herself, the rather nice view, but he looked quite handsome in this as well. “There. Satisfied?”

He looked at her with wide eyes, his jaw hanging slightly as he pulled himself away to stand up straight. “You look amazing,” he said quietly, his tone almost reverential.

She gave him a smile. “You look quite handsome yourself,” she said. “You’ll have a line of women asking you to dance tonight.”

“Do I have to dance with them, though?” he asked sourly.

“It’s only polite,” she said. “If I have to have my feet trod upon by men who don’t know how to dance, you can charm a few women and spread our good name around.”

He offered her his arm. “Only if you promise me a few dances tonight.”

She nodded and took his arm. “Whenever we tire of other people, we’ll find each other and complain to our heart’s content.”

He grinned at that. “That’s my girl.” He looked at her other hand. “Do you have a purse or something?”

She shook her head. “Doesn’t go with the outfit. You’re in charge of our house keys tonight, Leonard. Hopefully, your outfit came with pockets.”

“You’re in luck,” he said. “You rented a car for the evening, right?”

“Yes,” she said. “A limo with a wet bar in the back.”

“Oh, you know me so well,” he said.

“Yes I do,” she said with a chuckle. “I knew you’d like at least one whiskey in you before you have to face the maddening crowd.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You’re a godsend.”

“You may not feel that way at the end of the night,” she said. “But let’s be off and get through this evening and then come home and curl up in our pyjamas and watch movies until dawn since the clinic is closed tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said with a nod. They headed towards the front door and McCoy opened it and they stepped outside. He locked up behind them and they went to the lift and made their way down to the ground floor. The limo was waiting for them and McCoy let go of her arm to open the door for her. Molly gathered up her skirt and got inside and after a moment McCoy followed. Once they were inside and settled McCoy went straight for the wet bar and mixed himself and Molly a whiskey. He handed her her drink and then lifted his up. “To getting through the evening with our sanity intact,” he said.

“Here here,” she replied, tapping her glass against his before taking a drink. She settled into her seat more and looked at him. “Thank you for this, by the way. I appreciate it.”

“I know you don’t like going to these types of events alone,” he said, taking a sip of his whiskey. “And if you have to suffer, you might as well not suffer alone.”

“And this is why you’re my best friend,” she said with a smile. “Shared suffering makes it better.”

“That it does,” he said with a nod. “Plus I get to look at you in a gorgeous dress. That’s a good motivation to go too.”

She blushed at that. “Yes, well, I don’t have many reasons to dress up. It’s not as though I have much of a social life.”

“You should, though,” he said. “You deserve to go out and have fun. You work hard and you shouldn’t hole up with a grouch like me all the time.”

“But I like your company,” she said.

He looked at his drink for a moment, contemplating it. “Still. We’re homebodies. If you insist on spending time with me, I guess I’ll just have to force you to dress up and go out to do things.”

She had a brief flash to Mardi Gras, to their night together and for a moment she wondered if maybe she should reopen the conversation of them being more than friends. But she stuffed it back down. If she lost him, that would kill her. That would devastate her a million times more than losing Khan would have, she knew that. And if they were romantically involved? She would never recover from that. No, it was best if they were simply friends. She gave him a bright smile in response. “I suppose you’ll have to, then. And maybe I’ll do it to you sometimes.”

He gave her a small smile in return. “Then maybe we’ll actually get to see this city a bit more.”

“I suppose so,” she said before having more of her whiskey. They lapsed into silence the rest of the trip to the venue where the costume ball was being held, and when they were let out of the car she took his hand and held it tightly for a moment. “Dance with me, before I have to share you?” she asked.

He looked surprised but nodded. “Alright,” he replied. 

She let go of his hand and he offered her his arm, which she took gratefully. They walked inside together to find a fast song playing, but by the time they got to the dance floor it had switched to a slower song. He took one of her hands in his and then put his other hand on her waist, pulling her close, and she stepped close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She was glad for the change in tempo, glad for the chance to be close. For at least one night, she could pretend that there was something more to their friendship, that she was a princess and he was her prince, and then when they left it would all go back to how it had to be to save her from anymore heartbreak.


End file.
